Tokyo Olympics: What to look out for on Sunday

By Sports Desk July 24, 2021

The first Olympic skateboarding champion will be crowned on day two of the Tokyo Games.

Ariake Urban Sports Park will be the venue for the first skateboarding action in Olympic history on Sunday.

Elsewhere, it will be the turn of the women to contest the cycling road race after Richard Carapaz produced a brilliant ride to take gold for Ecuador on Saturday.

Stats Perform picks out of some of the standout action to look out for at the end of the opening weekend of competition.

HUSTON FAVOURITE TO MAKE SKATEBOARDING HISTORY

The men's street will be the first skateboarding event, with four heats followed by a final at 12:25 local time.

Nyjah Huston of the United States is the favourite to top the podium, with 16 street skateboarding medals to his name in the X Games.

Tokyo-born Yuto Origome won gold at the World Street Championships in Rome this year and it would be a great story if he can follow that up with an Olympic triumph on home soil.

Skateboarding great Tony Hawk said on Saturday of the sport's introduction: "I'm surprised it took this long for them to figure it out.

"I believe they needed a youthful energy to the summer Games and it's overdue."

DUTCH DUO UNPRECEDENTED DOUBLE

Anna van der Breggen and Marianne Vos have already won Olympic gold medals and they will go in search of a second in the women's road race.

No female cyclist has won the event twice, but the 2012 champion Vos and defending champion Van der Breggen will start the course at Musashinonomori Park looking to achieve that feat.

EYES ON THE POOL – AND ON THE BEACH

The first swimming medals of the Games will be handed out on Sunday following Saturday's heats.

There is an open field in the men's 400 metre medley final – the first event of the day – after home favourite Daiya Seto failed to qualify.

The women's event does feature Hungary's Katinka Hosszu, though, as she aims to protect her 2016 gold, won with a world-record time that stands to this day.

Meanwhile, Australia will take to the pool confident of another gold in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay final, boasting the title, the world record and by far the best qualifying time.

A new water sport should garner some attention, though, as surfing makes its Olympics bow.

Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach – preferred to a wave pool – plays host for the first and second rounds on Sunday.

Reigning world champions Italo Ferreira and Carissa Moore will hope it is a debut to remember.

USA TO GET ON THE BOARD?

While China are sitting pretty already with four medals, the United States will hope not to have to wait too much longer for their first.

Not since Munich 1972 had they ended the first day of the Games without a medal as was the case on Saturday.

The basketball medals are a long way off being handed out, but plenty of American focus will be on Team USA's opener against France.

Preparations for Kevin Durant and Co have not been ideal and Les Bleus beat USA at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

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    Adam Peaty insists he arrives in Paris ready to "attack" a third-straight Olympic triumph in the 100m breaststroke

    Peaty, who is a 16-time European Champion, won his first gold medal for Team GB in 2016, the first by a British male in 24 years, and has held the title ever since. 

    He became the first British swimmer ever to retain an Olympic title in Tokyo, and is eyeing a hat-trick of titles. 

    The 29-year-old also holds the world records in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke, yet getting to the Paris Olympics was far from straightforward. 

    From 2014 to 2022, Peaty was unstoppable, breaking the 100m record on five occasions while also claiming several world, European and Commonwealth titles. 

    But with the world at his feet, things came crashing down. In fact, was it not for this Olympics, he may never have returned to the pool.

    “If it wasn’t for the Olympics I don’t think I’d be still swimming,” Peaty told Eurosport. “I’m going to attack for this title, not defend.

    “I think I’ve cracked the code of balance, but also being able to train really hard for very long periods of time, knowing when I burn out or I’m pushing too hard, and listening to my team at the same time.

    “So I think this is my favourite time to train but I also had to take three or four months off from the sport completely because I burned out.

    “It cost me that kind of training period, but without that I would have just done the same old stuff and probably wouldn’t have even made it to the Olympics or the Olympic qualifiers, because I’d have completely burned out from the sport.

    “People see the end result, they’ll see you race or compete at the end of the day, but they won’t see the years and years and years of hard mornings, hard evenings, thousands of metres, gym sessions in the freezing cold.

    “People don’t see that stuff, they only see the 1%, if that. It’s 0.1%.”

    But in Peaty's absence, a new force has taken the pool by storm, with China’s Qin Haiyang establishing himself as the dominant force.

    Haiyang won the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke at the 2023 World Championships, becoming the second-fastest man in 100m history behind Peaty.

    Peaty returned to claim bronze at the World Championships this year and then won the British trials in April in a time of 57.94s.

    “I’ve been given a gift that I put myself in extreme pain for a very long time and quite enjoy it,” he continued. “Not many people can do that.

    “I enjoy the hard work because it keeps me busy. It has to be hard all the time.

    “That’s the most powerful thing. You don’t do it for the Olympic glory, you don’t do it for the medals, you do it to recognise the gift that you’ve been given.

    “If I know I’ve worked the hardest and I get to the start line at the Olympics and I couldn’t have done anything more that gives me peace, because win or lose you’ll be happy because you’ve enjoyed the journey.”

  • Haitian swimmer Alex Grand'Pierre gushes over opening ceremony outfit for 2024 Paris Olympics Haitian swimmer Alex Grand'Pierre gushes over opening ceremony outfit for 2024 Paris Olympics

    Haitian swimmer Alex Grand'Pierre believes his Olympic team will be the best-dressed at tonight's Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics after receiving his stunning outfit, designed by celebrated Italian designer Stella Jean. Known for her vibrant and culturally rich creations, Stella Jean, who has partial Haitian heritage, has crafted an ensemble that has left Grand'Pierre and his teammates in awe.

    In an Instagram reel, Grand'Pierre revealed the colourful outfit, which includes pants inspired by Haitian artwork titled "The Passage," a matching scarf, and black and white shoes. Overwhelmed with excitement, he exclaimed, "I think we might win Best Dressed."

    Addressing Stella Jean directly in his post, Grand'Pierre said, "You knocked it out of the park! I am so excited to wear this outfit. Actually seeing it in person and knowing that I am going to be wearing it tomorrow (Friday), I'm super, super excited. My first Olympics, but to be wearing this, it feels super special, so thank you for your incredible design."

    Jean, renowned for her work that often reflects her diverse heritage, will personally dress the Haitian athletes competing in the games. Her designs are expected to capture the attention of spectators and fellow athletes alike, showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of Haiti.

    A senior at Bowdoin College, Grand'Pierre is a multi-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champion, an NCAA Division III All-American, and a Haitian record holder.

    He qualified for the Paris Games in the 100m breaststroke following a first-place finish (1:02.39) at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) in June. His event's competition begins on July 27th at the Paris Aquatics Centre.

    Grand'Pierre follows in the footsteps of his older sisters, Naomy (2016 Rio Games) and Emilie (2020 Tokyo Games). Naomy is now the coach for the Haitian swim team.

    The opening ceremony is set to get underway just after noon (Jamaica time); 1 pm EST.

     

  • Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms

    United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.

    Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.

    Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.

    The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

    He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.

    “We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.

    "We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'

    "We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."

    Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.

    "This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.

    After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.

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